Severus Snape and the Lethifold
by Aulophobic Clarinetist
Summary: One day Harry notices Snape muttering to his cloak. Did you think the Marauder's prank involved a werewolf? Did you think Snape's cloak billowed on it's own? Did you think the two were unrelated occurrences? You thought wrong.


**For the Grand Authoress Cylobaby :)**

Harry Potter walked out of his Charms class towards the Great Hall for lunch. On the way, he saw Snape walk past a group of frightened first year Hufflepuffs. This was a normal occurrence. What wasn't normal, however, was that Snape was muttering to his billowing cloak and smirking.

OOO

When one hears of the life-threatening prank the Marauders played on a young Severus Snape, one would most likely assume that it had to do with a werewolf encounter. One would also be wrong.

You see, the Marauders were much more devious that that, and though a werewolf attack would be convenient for them to orchestrate, it would simply be too obvious and what was the fun in that? They wanted a way to get rid of their hated Snivellus permanently, preferably quickly and quietly, and without incriminating any of their posse. That was why the Marauders wore identical smirks as they left their Care of Magical Creatures Class.

OOO

In the middle of the night, an almost imperceptible rustle of cloth awakened sixteen-year-old Severus Snape. Most people wouldn't have even noticed this minute sound, but Severus sat straight up, wide awake. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a thick corner of black cloth slip under his bed. He inhaled sharply. A Lethifold was under his bed. Panicking momentarily, he recalled all of the information he had read about Lethifolds. He had always wondered exactly what one was like, as most encounters ended with undetectable death. He realized it would attempt to hide until he fell back asleep, then float back over his sleeping form, suffocating and eating him. He would not give it this opportunity.

He settled back against his pillow and pretended to snore softly, all the while keeping his senses alert. After a moment, he heard an almost silent grumble come from somewhere near his left elbow. All of a sudden it was as if a heavy blanket had been thrown upon him, but he was ready for it. He grabbed the thick material and pulled it off his face. Severus immobilized it and then used his wand to light the candles in his room. He picked up the frozen, still grumbling Lethifold. It was a rich, dark, flawless black, and looked to have more of the shape of a large cloak than of a blanket. He ran a hand over it, it was softer than he imagined it would be.

A few moments later, Severus was on the way to the kitchens, the Lethifold draped over his arm. He set it on a counter and took a large turkey out of one of the refrigerators. He placed the meat in front of the creature and lifted the immobilus charm. The Lethifold growled quietly and covered the turkey. In a manner of seconds, the Lethifold drifted quickly away and under a stove. The turkey was gone.

Impressed, Severus tried to get it out from under the appliance. It seemed to be afraid of him, and moved along the back wall. He got a few pieces of bacon off a nearby plate and put two of the strips in front of the stove; he held the third piece out. Hesitantly, the Lethifold crept out from under the stove and devoured the bacon. It shrank back, then timidly hovered over his hand. He felt the bacon vanish. The Lethifold wasn't as heavy when it wasn't trying to kill him. He patted it softly like a cat and it made the quietest purring sound. Severus smiled.

OOO

By the end of the weekend, Severus had his pet Lethifold pretty well trained. It had never tried to eat him again, but he had caught it trying to sneak under his door a few times. Though it ate meat from the Hogwarts Kitchens, it would prefer to catch live humans. When it was not hungry, the Lethifold would float lazily around his room. It billowed impressively and the almost silent content purring was a very nice sound. It did not seem to like to stay in his room while he was in the library, and it was always happy to see him when he came back, covering him like a warm blanket.

One day, Severus was getting ready for class and he looked in the mirror to make sure his hair was lying flat. The Lethifold shot across the room suddenly and settled across his shoulders. It fell down his back almost to the floor and billowed ominously behind him. Severus smirked lightly.

He strode down the hallways with his Lethifold billowing along. He stepped into the Potions class, where the Gryffindors were joining the Slytherins. He hoped Lily would be impressed. He barely registered the shocked looks on the Marauders' faces as he passed them.

"Nice cloak, Severus, m'boy" Slughorn greeted, clapping him on the shoulder. The Lethifold grumbled in Severus' ear. He just smirked in response and went about making his potion.

OOO

Over the years, the Lethifold and Severus became inseparable. When he began teaching at Hogwarts, his billowing cloak was iconic and successfully intimidated the students. It also had taken a certain liking to the scent of Hufflepuffs, and every time he was near them (which he often avoided) it would grumble about not being able to eat them.

OOO

In the Great Hall, Harry looked up from his lunch just in time to notice a piece of chicken vanish under Snape's cloak.

**This all started as a joke with cylobaby. Then I said I would write it. Thanks for reading!**


End file.
